- Aljamain Sterling opened up about his tough UFC 292 title fight loss to Sean O’Malley
- “Funk Master” believes he deserves to get a quick rematch
Aljamain Sterling failed to defend his UFC bantamweight title against Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 as “Sugar” victoriously stopped him within two rounds. Nevertheless, “Funk Master” remains optimistic and is now looking forward to a rematch.
Worthy of a rematch
During his reign as the bantamweight king, Sterling successfully defended his belt three times. As he looked back at his first title fight defeat, Aljo also insists that it should be a no-brainer that he gets an immediate rematch with O’Malley.
“I would first and foremost love an opportunity to run that back and just to get some definitive answers,” Sterling told the reporters in his UFC 292 post-fight presser. “Maybe I could do… I don’t want to say a better job because I feel like the guys I trained with were phenomenal, but maybe make it more intentful to have guys that are giving me that look going side to side so that I do a better job of preparing for that. Because that ultimately was the one thing I was concerned with. It was the one thing that he did a great job with: neutralizing my forward pressure where I was like, ‘You know what, let’s play Matador,’ and I was trying to let him in so that I could spin him to the cage. But he didn’t really play the game.”
“So it’s just one of those things, a couple of tactical things I think I need to look at, and I think is a very winnable fight. I think he’s good at what he does. I’m good at what I do,” he continued.
“That is, a hundred percent, what I would like the most,” Sterling said when asked about a rematch. “And It’s not saying like, Sean doesn’t deserve [it], he could go out there and beat me again. And I think that’s just strengthen his case that he is as good as he said he is. “I would like to think I’ve earned my right to get an immediate rematch.”
Nothing can hold Aljo down
As expected, Sterling was emotional. He was evidently holding back his tears but even though he was dejected by how things played out for him, “Funk Master” vows to bounce back stronger and reclaim his throne.
“Definitely proud of everything, man – glass half full. I get choked up when I talk about this,” Sterling reflected. “I don’t come from the best household, you know? So, just being able to find inspiration in other people and kind of carving out your own path. That’s the one thing I love about the sport. It’s allowed me to do things my way. Man, life is good. I got my family. I got my beautiful fiancee. You know, I don’t wanna cry on f**king camera, man.”
“It’s the things that matter in life the most, you know,” he continued. “Competition is okay. But this has really helped change my life. Like I know the UFC gets a lot of sh*t from like the fighters and stuff, but if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have the life that I live today. I told Dana [White] that even at the weigh-ins yesterday and Hunter [Campbell], like if it wasn’t for them- half the things I’ve done in this in the sport wouldn’t be possible. The things I’ve been able to do for my family- I bought my mom a house. I’m doing a little real estate, I own three houses now. I’m set in terms of financial means, you know, this is just icing on the cake, and I took a shot. I took a shot trying to come back and trying to do something unthinkable and making a dream into a reality. I fell short, but it happens, you know, so I’m super proud of everything I’ve done. I’m bulletproof, man. Like, no one can shake me mentally. No one but myself.”
Sterling is widely regarded by many as the best bantamweight of his generation. His feud with O’Malley has already been a storyline prior to UFC 292 but it would still be up to the UFC if his call for a rematch would be granted.
